Argentina won 2-0 against the Republic of Korea on Saturday in a preliminary match of the Beijing Paralympic Football 5-a-Side tournament.

According to the competition format, the first two teams at the end of the preliminary round will advance to the gold medal match, while the third and fourth ranked teams will play for bronze.

With China already qualified for the gold medal match and Brazil sitting comfortably in second place with 10 points and a goal difference of +9, Argentina desperately needed more goals to get a berth in the final match, and its fate will be determined by the result of China and Brazil's encounter in the next round. A draw between China and Brazil will eliminate Argentina from the gold medal match.

Ivan Figueroa opened the scoring for Argentina with a powerful shot towards the right post

Argentina kept going forward looking for those vital goals, but only managed to add one more in the second half. It was through captain Velo, who hit a free kick from six meters and made it 2-0.

Argentina will play its final match against Great Britain, while the Republic of Korea will play Spain. Both matches will be played on Monday.

(BOCOG September 13, 2008)